We would all like to believe that the medications we take are safe. We would hope that when we open the plastic seal and pull out the cotton inside that the medication they protect is the best that it can be. Unfortunately, thousands of recalls take place every year for everything from medications to implants and defibrillators. Some blame attempts to save money and cut corners on dramatic quality problems and drug companies blame third party flaws for the majority of quality problems. Dangers in the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector have resulted for companies both large and small. Pharmaceutical giant Johnson and Johnson has faced several drug recalls over the last several months for a variety of reasons and most recently they face major recalls on bestselling Tylenol, Benadryl, Sudafed and Sinutab.
Blaming the recall on quality control issues based in the McNeill plant in Pennsylvania–which was completely shut down in April of last year–medication manufactured under poor quality control standards still circulate on store shelves. Poor cleaning procedures and a lack of documentation of correct maintenance protocols inside the plant are continuing to follow Johnson and Johnson down a long road of controversy. The recall involves pulling drugs from store shelves across the country–a big hit in the wallet for J&J since Tylenol currently holds about 35% of the pain medication market and also included 40 other types of medication including Motrin and Benadryl brands specifically. Representatives of Johnson & Johnson may send me darkening the doors of an Illinois court room facing charges of racketeering and fraud in relation to a 2010 recall of drugs that were manufactured in the faulty McNeil plant. Six different consumers are holding Johnson & Johnson responsible for what they charge are irresponsible practices when they claim Johnson and Johnson did not properly recall certain medications.
In a report from the Food and Drug Administration, inspectors found in the coatings of dust and dirt on some equipment, as well as a hole in the ceiling of the plant, and duct tape covering pipes in the factory that was responsible for making over 40 different Johnson & Johnson medications.
Drugs included in this most recent recall include Tylenol allergy, Tylenol arthritis pain gel tabs, Tylenol 8 hour caplets, Benadryl allergy kapgels, Sudafed PE caplets, Sinutab Sinus caplets.  Reports claim that there should not be any quality problems with the medication, but its recalled as a safety precaution.  When Johnson and Johnson has a moment, they will also need to make a trip to Oregon where the state’s Attorney General has filed a lawsuit claiming that a 2008 recall was only a “phantom†removal where the company hired third parties to purchase entire stocks of drugs from every store–instead of conducting an actual and proper recall of medications.
Deception and multiple attempts to save money have made the pharmaceutical industry mysterious and even a bit scary. With a dramatic jump in drug recalls over just the last few years, it is up to the consumer to use caution and stay as up to date as possible on what’s safe, and what isn’t.
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